4 Ingredient Artichoke and Dip RecipeBlog - July 9, 2017

This is not a sponsored post, however, my obsession with Kraft Olive Oil is completely my own and I will continue to recommend Kraft as my “go to” mayo.

When I was a poor, starving, struggling model in Greece in my 20’s, I’d leave the models hotel and go stay the weekend at my aunt’s house. She always made sure I ate properly. That’s what family does.

Let me rephrase: That’s what a Greek family does. You will never starve around the Greeks, lol.

I remember one evening I walked into the kitchen and she was making artichokes. I had never tried artichokes before and she let me try them with a special dipping sauce. I didn’t even know that artichokes had a “meat” on them that you grabbed with your teeth. Not only did I love eating artichokes leaf by leaf and dipping them into the sauce, I loved the process of finding the artichoke heart at the end. The best part of the artichoke is the heart.

This was food I had to work for!

I thought I died and went to heaven. So, she showed me how to make the sauce and she showed me how to boil the artichokes and for the last 23 years I have been making them. I was so shocked at how simple the recipe was but through the years have learned to perfect it.

Aunty Katherine would be proud.

Her recipe includes mayonnaise and Greek olive oil in the dipping sauce. It’s hard to duplicate the olive oil but I did find a way to condense these two ingredients into one delicious product; Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil Reduced Fat.

I am not a big mayonnaise fan and my husband, who is French makes his own mayonnaise. But when I do use mayonnaise I always use Kraft. Of course the recipe requires Greek olive oil but being that I am not in Greece at the moment, I thought that I would try the recipe with Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil and it came out amazing.

Because I am on the Smart For Life diet, I watch my fat intake and mayonnaise is definitely not on the “can eat” list. But given that Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil is reduced fat, I let it slide. If would be a crime to eat the artichokes without the dipping sauce!

Besides, artichokes have such amazing health benefits! They have phytonutrients that provide potent antioxidants. They are also packed with fiber. One artichoke has more fiber than a cup of prunes! They aid in digestive support and liver health. The biggest health benefit is that they help cancer prevention. To check out more benefits, read 12 Unexpected Artichoke Health Benefits.

Once you discover this amazing thistle, you will be hooked.

There are several ways to prepare artichokes but for this recipe, I boiled them, which is probably the easiest way.

I cut off the stems, rinsed them and boiled them for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You will know that the leaves are tender because you will see one or two floating around in the pot. Test one out and see if the meat on the leaves is tender enough to pull off easily with your teeth.

Mix 1/2 a cup of lemon juice, 4 Tablespoons of Kraft Olive Oil Mayo, and one small minced clove of garlic.

Drain the artichokes to get the left over water out and then chill along with the sauce in the refrigerator.

You can either leave the leaves on and pluck them out to dip them or you can serve them already plucked and ready.

When you get to the heart just scoop out the needle looking pieces.

The heart is truly the best part!

I bet you didn’t know an artichoke could look so delicious. It tastes just as amazing as it looks. Enjoy!